Dubai Design Week: Everything You Need To Know

Dubai Design Week is the largest arts festival in the Middle East, reflecting Dubai’s position as the regional capital of design. From 12th to 17th November 2018, the programme is made up of more than 200 events incorporating design across a range of disciplines such as architecture, product, furniture, interior, and graphic design. Introduced under the support of HH Sheikha Latifa Bint Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice Chair of the Board of Directors, Dubai Culture & Arts Authority, Dubai Design Week provides an accessible meeting point for the global design community.

The design event, organized in partnership with the Dubai Design District (d3), is a platform for regional design and acts as an incentive for the growth of the creative community in Dubai. In 2017, the annual fair attracted more than 60,000 visitors to Dubai Design District alone who attended and engaged with the varied programme of design-related events, exhibitions, shows, awards, talks and workshops, and experiences.

The event’s fourth edition programme will feature the region’s leading design fair, Downtown Design, and its inaugural showcase dedicated to limited-edition design, Downtown Editions; Global Grad Show, which brings together projects from 100 of the most innovative universities across the world; and Abwab, the curated and interactive project containing original design from the Middle East, North Africa and South Asia.

Downtown Design

The sixth edition of Downtown Design, the Middle East’s only trade fair dedicated to original, high-quality design, is the biggest and most ambitious to date. With 175 contemporary design brands, including 40 regional designers, the fair presents the largest ever curation of Middle Eastern talent alongside the best of international design. Visitors will also be able to commission limited-edition and bespoke design from the Middle East and beyond at the fair’s new section, Downtown Editions.

Global Grad Show

The fourth edition of the Global Grad Show, held in partnership with Investment Corporation of Dubai, offers a first look at 150 of the inventions shaping our tomorrow. The ideas come from passionate, upcoming design graduates of 61 nationalities from 100 universities, including Harvard, MIT and RCA. The students use design to find solutions to some of the world’s most pressing issues.

Abwab

Translated as ‘doors’ in Arabic, Abwab is an exhibition, architectural installation and a highlight of Dubai Design Week. It’s the only initiative of its kind to offer a platform for design talent from across the Middle East. For the fourth edition, located at the center of Dubai Design District (d3), Abwab will host a collection of design experiences drawn from five communities in the Middle East; Amman, Beirut, Dubai (supported by Tashkeel), Eastern Provinces of Saudi Arabia (supported by Ithra) and Kuwait City.

Owned and managed by the Art Dubai Group, the whole design event is free to attend and accessible for the design industry and the public.